Cracking the PM Interview in 2026: what still holds and what’s missing
Cracking the PM Interview, by Gayle Laakmann McDowell and Jackie Bavaro, is one of the best-known books on product manager interviews. It was first published in 2013. This page lists what it covers, what a 2026 interview asks that it doesn’t, and free practice to go with each part.
Checked November 12, 2026 · By PMInterviewKit, which sells its own PM interview course
The short version
- Still useful: what the job is, resumes, behavioral questions, estimation and product questions. In our view those skills have not changed.
- Not in its table of contents: AI product interviews. There is also no chapter named for metrics questions.
- Check before you spend time on it: the coding chapter. Read it only if your interview loop includes a coding round.
- Edition: we found one edition, from 2013. Cracking the PM Career (2021) is a different book, about doing the job.
What the book covers, with free practice for each part
The left column is the book’s own table of contents, from its official site. The right column is free material of ours on the same topic, to practice with as you read.
| In the book | Free practice on the same topic |
|---|---|
| The product manager role | Free lesson: what interviewers actually score |
| Companies | Free lesson: how interview loops differ |
| Getting the right experience | Nothing of ours; this part is about the career, not the interview. |
| Career advancement | Nothing of ours; this part is about the career, not the interview. |
| Behind the interview scenes | Free lesson: the round types and how they differ |
| Resumes, real resumes and cover letters | Product manager resume: examples and a template |
| Company research | Free lesson: how interview loops differ |
| Define yourself | Behavioral interview questions |
| Behavioral questions | Behavioral interview questions |
| Estimation questions | Estimation and market sizing questions |
| Product questions | Product sense interview questions |
| Case questions | Product strategy interview questions |
| Coding questions | Technical interview questions for PMs (no coding) |
What a 2026 interview asks that the book doesn’t list
AI product questions
“Design an AI feature for this product” and “how would you know it is good enough to ship” are now their own kind of question. The book’s table of contents has no chapter on them. Start with the AI product manager interview questions and the free lesson what AI product rounds test.
Metrics questions as a round of their own
Choosing a north star metric and working out why a number dropped are common enough to prepare for separately. The book has no chapter with that name, though some of the ground may be covered inside its product and case chapters. Practice with the product metrics interview questions.
How each company interviews today
Any book’s company chapters describe hiring as it was when they were written. For the current process, read the company’s own careers page, then see how interview loops differ.
Cracking the PM Interview vs Decode and Conquer
The two books do different jobs. Cracking the PM Interview covers the whole path: the role, companies, resumes and every kind of question. Decode and Conquer, by Lewis C. Lin, is about answering the questions, built around his CIRCLES and AARM methods. Its author’s site lists a fifth edition, described as completely rewritten, at 528 pages.
If you already use CIRCLES, our cheat sheet shows how CIRCLES lines up with the Design Ladder, step by step.
About “Cracking the PM Interview PDF”
The book is in print and under copyright. We don’t host or link to copies of it. Buy it or borrow it from a library. If what you want is something free to practice with today, the question bank below is ours to give away.
Free PDF: 200 PM interview questions with answer outlines
Every question with its first move, a strong opening, the outline of an answer and the common mistake, grouped by round.
Try it before you pay for anything
No account needed for any of these.
Questions
Is Cracking the PM Interview still worth reading in 2026?
For the parts that have not changed, yes: what a product manager does, how to write a resume, behavioral questions, estimation and product questions. It was first published in 2013, so its table of contents has no chapter on AI product interviews, and its chapters on individual companies were written then. Read it for the foundations and use something current for the rest.
Is there a new edition of Cracking the PM Interview?
We did not find one. On 12 November 2026 the book’s official site mentioned no newer edition, and Open Library listed a single edition from 2013. Cracking the PM Career (2021), by the same authors, is a different book about doing the job, not about interviews.
Does Cracking the PM Interview cover AI product manager interviews?
Not as a chapter. The table of contents on the book’s official site lists behavioral, estimation, product, case and coding questions, and nothing on AI products.
Where can I get a Cracking the PM Interview PDF?
The book is in print and under copyright, so we don’t host or link to copies of it. Buy it or borrow it from a library. If you want free practice material today, PMInterviewKit has 200 interview questions with answer outlines and a printable cheat sheet, both free.
Cracking the PM Interview or Decode and Conquer: which first?
They do different jobs. Cracking the PM Interview covers the whole path: the role, companies, resumes and each kind of question. Decode and Conquer is about answering questions, built around its author’s CIRCLES and AARM methods; its fifth edition is described on the author’s site as completely rewritten, at 528 pages. Start with whichever gap is bigger for you.
From PMInterviewKit
One method for each interview round, 88 short lessons to read or watch, 66 worked answers and mock interviews with Ava. The first lesson of every module is free. The full kit is $129 once.
Comparing paid courses too? See PM interview prep options side by side.
Sources
Each fact about another product on this page was read from these pages.
- Cracking the PM Interview: table of contents (official site)
- Cracking the PM Interview: edition record (Open Library)
- Decode and Conquer, 5th edition (Lewis C. Lin’s site)
The product, company and book names on this page are their owners’ trademarks.
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